07.01.2015 Views

A comparative analysis of the US and EU retail banking markets - Wsbi

A comparative analysis of the US and EU retail banking markets - Wsbi

A comparative analysis of the US and EU retail banking markets - Wsbi

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

4.2.5.2.2 The “universal <strong>banking</strong>” model<br />

A key feature <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Second Banking Directive relates<br />

to <strong>the</strong> fact that <strong>the</strong> activities in which credit<br />

institutions can engage are defined exhaustively 195 .<br />

The model promoted by <strong>the</strong> Directive, <strong>and</strong> imposed<br />

throughout <strong>the</strong> <strong>EU</strong>, is <strong>the</strong> “universal <strong>banking</strong>” model,<br />

as <strong>the</strong> Directive foresees that credit institutions can<br />

engage in activities such as “Acceptance <strong>of</strong> deposits<br />

<strong>and</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r repayable funds”, “lending”, “Trading for<br />

own account or for account <strong>of</strong> customers” or<br />

“Safekeeping <strong>and</strong> administration <strong>of</strong> securities”.<br />

It should be noted that before <strong>the</strong> adoption <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> Directive, important differences existed from<br />

Member State to Member State, as whereas in some<br />

countries strict limitations were imposed as regards<br />

to authorised activities for banks, in o<strong>the</strong>r countries<br />

<strong>the</strong> model was already that <strong>of</strong> universal <strong>banking</strong>.<br />

The Directive has thus been a key milestone in terms<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> creation <strong>of</strong> a level playing field in <strong>the</strong> <strong>EU</strong><br />

<strong>banking</strong> sector.<br />

Noteworthy is also <strong>the</strong> fact that <strong>the</strong> activities defined<br />

in <strong>the</strong> Directive apply to <strong>the</strong> institutions defined as<br />

“credit institutions”, which includes institutions<br />

such as banks, savings banks <strong>and</strong> cooperative banks.<br />

Concretely, this means that whereas <strong>the</strong> legal<br />

environment <strong>of</strong> individual Member States can foresee<br />

specific features for <strong>the</strong> different categories <strong>of</strong> credit<br />

institutions, <strong>the</strong> activities in which <strong>the</strong>se can engage<br />

are <strong>the</strong> same <strong>and</strong> are those defined by <strong>the</strong> Directive.<br />

4.2.5.2.3 Most recent regulatory trends:<br />

more detailed rules, based on<br />

international st<strong>and</strong>ards<br />

The 1929 crash in <strong>the</strong> New York Stock Exchange<br />

also triggered reforms on <strong>the</strong> European side <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

Atlantic. In particular, in a number <strong>of</strong> European<br />

countries, measures were taken that strictly regulated<br />

<strong>the</strong> activities in which <strong>the</strong> different categories <strong>of</strong><br />

actors in <strong>the</strong> financial area were allowed to engage.<br />

It is also in that period that some European countries<br />

decided to set up supervisory agencies, in <strong>the</strong> <strong>banking</strong><br />

<strong>and</strong> securities areas.<br />

As indicated, <strong>the</strong> second <strong>banking</strong> Directive has<br />

imposed <strong>the</strong> universal <strong>banking</strong> model across Europe,<br />

extending in many cases <strong>the</strong> activities in which banks<br />

were allowed to engage <strong>and</strong> s<strong>of</strong>tening <strong>the</strong> limits<br />

imposed previously. From that perspective, <strong>the</strong><br />

adoption <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> second <strong>banking</strong> directive in 1989<br />

can be regarded as <strong>the</strong> peak <strong>of</strong> a period <strong>of</strong><br />

deregulation that started in <strong>the</strong> 1970, <strong>and</strong> that<br />

followed a period a regulation initiated in 1929 with<br />

<strong>the</strong> great depression.<br />

The 1980’ <strong>and</strong> to a greater extent <strong>the</strong> 1990’ has also<br />

been a period <strong>of</strong> adoption <strong>of</strong> complex, detailed <strong>and</strong><br />

<strong>of</strong>ten burdensome regulation in <strong>the</strong> <strong>banking</strong> area,<br />

which very <strong>of</strong>ten originated in international fora.<br />

The Basel I accord, replaced recently by <strong>the</strong> much<br />

more complex <strong>and</strong> comprehensive Basel II framework,<br />

is probably <strong>the</strong> most well-known example <strong>of</strong> such<br />

regulation, whose aim is to enhance <strong>the</strong> soundness<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>banking</strong> system worldwide. This has led some<br />

to point out that while credit institutions have been<br />

given more breathing space as regards <strong>the</strong> activities<br />

in which <strong>the</strong>y can engage, <strong>the</strong>y are now more<br />

limited by <strong>the</strong> much stricter prudential requirements<br />

with which <strong>the</strong>y are required to comply, <strong>and</strong> thus<br />

that one type <strong>of</strong> regulation has been replaced by<br />

ano<strong>the</strong>r, new type <strong>of</strong> regulation.<br />

The trend towards <strong>the</strong> development <strong>of</strong> international<br />

st<strong>and</strong>ards accelerated in recent years, with for<br />

instance <strong>the</strong> adoption <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> International Financial<br />

Reporting St<strong>and</strong>ards (IFRS) <strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> rules relating to<br />

<strong>the</strong> fight against <strong>the</strong> financing <strong>of</strong> terrorism <strong>and</strong><br />

against money laundering. The <strong>EU</strong> took <strong>the</strong> decision<br />

to include all <strong>the</strong>se new international rules in its own<br />

regulatory framework.<br />

4.2.5.3 Comparison<br />

The <strong>EU</strong> countries <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>US</strong> have gone through similar<br />

experiences in <strong>the</strong> course <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> 20th Century, <strong>of</strong>ten<br />

deciding to apply similar solutions to similar problems.<br />

As an illustration, <strong>the</strong> 1929 crash in Wall Street has<br />

led many countries around <strong>the</strong> world to regulate<br />

more strictly <strong>the</strong> area <strong>of</strong> financial services, while both<br />

in Europe <strong>and</strong> in <strong>the</strong> <strong>US</strong> <strong>the</strong> 1980’ have been an<br />

important period <strong>of</strong> deregulation. Likewise, <strong>the</strong> trend<br />

towards <strong>the</strong> introduction <strong>of</strong> increasingly complex<br />

<strong>and</strong> burdensome legislation could be observed in <strong>the</strong><br />

1990’ in <strong>the</strong> <strong>US</strong> <strong>and</strong> in Europe.<br />

195 Annex I to Directive 2000/12/EC <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> European Parliament <strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Council <strong>of</strong> 20 March 2000 relating to <strong>the</strong> taking up <strong>and</strong> pursuit <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> business <strong>of</strong><br />

credit institutions.<br />

64

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!